Keith Lusher Jr The recent slump that Lake Pontchartrain anglers have endured this spring is officially over and the assault on speckled trout has begun. Our main problem this May has been the ever shifting winds that have prevented the lakes waters to settle. Archived wind reports at the National Weather Service show winds changing from the north to south on eight different occasions from May 1st to May 19th. The high pressure system that has settled upon us has resulted in steady southerly winds for the past week and the lake has cleared up quite considerably. Another plus is the sign of shrimp in the water and in the bait shops. Anglers are catching trout at the bridges, artificial reefs, and any shell pads peppered along the lake. Captain George Seibert says the catching is fantastic right now but they are a little on the small side. “The big problem is we are still about three weeks behind for the spring run do to the harsh fronts that kept coming through. Also the lake is very fresh still from the Pearl being so high for so long. It has finally gone down so maybe with the East and South East winds it will get better,” Seibert says.
Causeway
Tony Cyprus caught a mixed bag of fish on his latest trip to the Causeway The 24-mile reef known as the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of the top places to fish in the lake right now. Jeff Bruhl has been fishing the bridge and says it’s important not to get stuck in one particular pattern when fishing the bridge. “I’ll start fishing the side I approach the bridge on and I’ll stop and fish the outside of the bridge. I’ll fish five or six pylons then I’ll fish the middle and then move to the other side and fish the outside there. Then I’ll decide where my bites are coming from and where the fish are positioned,” Bruhl says. Tide can be a tricky read when fishing the causeway but Jeff says that it’s important to figure out which way the water is moving. “Say you throw real close to the pylon and you hop it once or twice. If you feel that lure bump up against the pylon like it’s dragging across the pylon – that’s the current on the bottom throwing it in that direction. When you feel that, you should fish the opposite side because the fish isn’t going to be on the side where the current is. He is going to be somewhere along the backside in the eddy waiting for something to flow by in that direction,” he says. Jeff says anglers sometimes forget that there or two sides to the bridge and that the south side of the bridge sometimes out produces the north. “I’ve had several trips where the winds blowing hard enough out of the south where it’s rough on the north shore so I loaded up the boat and went to Bonnabel – go out about seven or eight miles and come home with a limit. I think the south shore has bigger fish with that turnaround – it has more structure around it. Also the tide coming out of south pass from Maurepas always creates a little bit of current right there when the tide is moving.” Jeff says.
Alligator Lottery
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries had opened application for their 2014 Alligator Lottery. The Lottery Alligator Harvest Program is intended to give sportsmen who don’t have the opportunity to normally harvest alligator, a fair chance at doing so for one year. Applicants must be Louisiana residents and at least 16 years of age. A random drawing will be completed by August 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by mail.
